I have officially turned into my grandmother. We've always shared a love of books; however, growing up I could never understand why she would purposely choose to curl up on the couch with a cookbook. It's only been within the last three years that I have started not only to see the value in "studying" cookbooks but also to enjoy them. Now it's not uncommon to find me on the couch with a cookbook in hand. Since turning thirty, my husband and I have been trying to maintain a healthier diet and so I was pleased to find The Part-Time Vegan available online and in bookstores.

We are not a vegan household (after all, my daughters have been known to chant, "Steak! Steak") and for this reason I was interested in new recipes to alter some of our dinner plans. In the introduction, the writers of this cookbook make it clear that jumping into the vegan lifestyle is ill-advised. However, they believe that the addition of whole foods and fresh produce into your diet will make you healthier and more energetic!

This is labeled as a "starter" cookbook for beginners in the vegan lifestyle. Even given that description, the recipes in this book call for a great number of ingredients NOT found in my pantry. Some I wouldn't know where to find and some I'd never even heard of. This was a big negative in my opinion. I prefer healthy recipes that are composed from "traditional" ingredients, fruits and veggies.

The other disappointment in the book was the fact that there are no pictures of the food. Pictures of the recipes are a very important part of cookbooks. I need to see that what I've just made (especially if its a new recipe) looks like its supposed to.

Many of the recipes did sound delicious and would be fairly easy to slightly adjust using the ingredients already in your pantry. I thought the section entitled Dinner Plans was really wonderful. They give you eleven entire menu plans - how easy is that to put together! I love easy in the kitchen!